Paco de Lucía was widely considered to be the world’s premier flamenco guitarist and by many to be Spain’s greatest musical export. He died more than three years ago, leaving behind an immense impact on flamenco music. Now members of his last touring band, led by guitarist-producer and 10-time Latin Grammy® winner Javier Limón, are on the road as the Flamenco Legends, revisiting the late guitarist's music and honoring his legacy while paving a new path into the future of flamenco.

Ground-breaking musical moments arrive when conductor Eric Jacobsen (co-founder of The Knights; Music Director of Orlando Philharmonic and Bridgeport Symphony), the astonishing young violinist Simone Porter, and The Phil present a program that seamlessly connects music from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 1 – 6
Maddi and Sofia are best friends. They live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the park together. One day Sofia discovers that Maddi has no food in her fridge at home, but Maddi makes her promise not to tell anyone and to keep it a secret. What should Sofia do? Can Sofia find a way to keep her word but also help her best friend? Based on the book by Lois Brandt, this play is a thoughtful and funny exploration of friendship, empathy, and doing the right thing.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 5 – 12
Gina Chavez’ bilingual, pan-Latin sound embodies the true meaning of “America.” Her high-energy concerts take audiences on a melodic journey tracing her Latin roots from Austin to Argentina, El Salvador to Venezuela and beyond, blending the sounds and rhythms of the region alongside a talented four-piece band.

A multi-ethnic Latin pop sensation, Gina Chavez is a 12-time Austin Music Award winner, including 2019 Best Female Vocals and 2015 Album of the Year for her sophomore release, Up.Rooted, a passionate collection of bilingual songs traversing cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk. With dynamic vocals and sharp social commentary, Chavez’s songs take audiences on a journey through the Americas, expertly blending sounds with tension and grace.

This electrifying company’s inaugural performance garnered a Bessie Award for “blasting open our notions of tap.” Founded by Artistic Director, 2015 MacArthur fellow, and 2018 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient Michelle Dorrance, the company has, in less than a decade, established an identity that honors tap dance’s uniquely American history in a new, dynamic, and compelling context—blending traditional technique with cutting-edge choreography and inventive rhythms.

Purchase Symphony Orchestra featuring local high school musicians, Purchase Jazz Interpretations Combo, and members of the Purchase Dance Company. This event is part of (T)HERE: A Global Festival of Art, Culture, and Ideas - HAITI, taking place November 14-16 on the campus of Purchase College.

From the countryside of the New World’s first free black republic, Chouk Bwa performs stripped-down Haitian roots music: enthralling percussion, dance, call-and-response singing, work songs, Vodou performances, and Holy Week rara music. The music of Chouk Bwa is a proud statement of Haitian culture, of a nation that’s known the hardest of times but whose spirit remains as tough as those ancient drums.
This event is part of (T)HERE: A Global Festival of Art, Culture, and Ideas - HAITI, taking place November 14-16 on the campus of Purchase College.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 5 – 12
Building on the fantastic reviews of the company’s award winning piece, Tetris, presented at The Performing Arts Center two years ago, we offer the world premiere of Rising Tide, a brand-new work from the innovative Dutch dance-theatre company Arch 8, commissioned by The PAC.

Experience the world premiere ofRising Tide, a brand-new work from the innovative Dutch dance-theatre company Arch 8, commissioned by The PAC. Arch 8 and choreographer Erik Kaiel are known for creating unorthodox, acrobatic dance for kids and grown-ups who can’t sit still. Rising Tide examines things that are rising: temperatures, sea levels, the extinction of animal species. Using poetry, play, partnering, and live music, the performers weave a world where we fall in love with nature, mourn its loss, and come to realize that our activism and engagement can turn the tide for the better. Ages 8+

In a single decade, with works such as The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, Igor Stravinsky showed possibilities for musical extremism never before imagined. With bracing harmonies, infectious rhythms, and brilliant orchestration, everything that Stravinsky created in this fertile period stole the musical show of the era, and this trio arrangement of The Soldier’s Tale (Stravinsky’s own) introduced his wildly controversial music to the chamber music stage. Innovations abound in this program: Beethoven’s Clarinet Trio (the first of its kind), Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words (his own invention), and Smetana’s Piano Trio, the first major chamber work from the Bohemian region.

The master of satire and bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and other satirical gems returns with the acerbic humor, social commentary, and outlandish stories that transfixed the audience at his last (nearly sold-out) Purchase PAC show. A book signing will follow the performance.

Rachael Worby’s debut performances last season imbued us with a fearlessness of the unexpected. With Worby on the podium, A Vision of Sound explores jazz and Latin jazz influences on American classical music, highlighted by HyeJin Kim and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, a not-to-be missed collaboration with members of Eduardo Vilaro’s Ballet Hispanico, and a world premiere by Jed Feuer.

Experience the avant premiere of An Untitled Love from award-winning choreographer and Purchase grad Kyle Abraham. A Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award winner, Doris Duke Artist Award winner, and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Kyle Abraham is one of today’s most in-demand choreographers. His work entwines a sensual and provocative vocabulary with a strong emphasis on sound, human behavior, and all things visual, in an effort to create an avenue for personal investigation and exposing that on stage.

With four decades under their belts, Canadian Brass continues to thrill audiences around the world, and they don’t look like they are letting up anytime soon! We are thrilled to have them heading our way with this program of specially arranged holiday favorites, sure to get you in the spirit of the season.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 3 – 8
Creatively blending theatre arts with the wonders of scientific exploration, Doktor Kaboom will explore the fundamentals of electrical energy and the history of humanity’s adventures with its potential. This unique event, co-commissioned by Doktor Kaboom and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts returns to The Performing Arts Center thanks to popular demand. Hold on to your hats!

Experience the grace, wit, and charm of French music. The program begins and ends with early works by Saint-Saëns and Fauré that recreate the elegant atmosphere of 19-century Parisian salons. In between, the Ravel sonata, written soon after World War I, uses just two string instruments to produce a composition of unique, austere beauty. These three inimitable works capture the essence of pure melody in its most delightfully fundamental form.

Just announced! Limón Dance Company has been at the vanguard of American dance from its inception in 1946, bringing the immediacy of our common experience onto the stage, exuberantly and intensely, with musical and fully lived dancing. They speak, urgently and joyfully, of our lives now: how we face the world and how we sense that world around us, how we can be with others, how we can destroy the bonds between us, and how we can create community.

A standard-bearer of innovation and artistic excellence, audience favorite Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is one of the world’s foremost chamber orchestras. Orpheus was founded in 1972 by a group of young musicians determined to combine the intimacy and warmth of a chamber ensemble with the richness of an orchestra. With 71 albums, including the Grammy Award-winning Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures, and 42 commissioned and premiered original works, Orpheus performs without a conductor and creates extraordinary musical experiences that enrich lives and empower individuals through collaboration, innovation, and a passion for artistic excellence.

Violinist Ray Ushikubo has performed with the LA Phil, LA Chamber Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony; appeared at Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, and on The Tonight Show; is a Davidson Fellow Laureate, and was prominently featured on the nationally syndicated From the Top. And he just turned 18. Rachael Worby conducts as he performs Bernstein’s famed West Side Story score arranged as a tour-de-force concerto.

Dance maker Paul Taylor first presented his choreography with five other dancers in Manhattan on May 30, 1954. That modest performance marked the beginning of 64 years of unrivaled creativity, and [add comma] in the decades that followed, Mr. Taylor became a cultural icon and one of American history’s most celebrated artists, hailed as part of the pantheon that created American modern dance.

The Manhattan Transfer remains a cornerstone for great pop and jazz hits, a legacy that the group has cemented since their first recording in 1972. With sold-out world tours and worldwide record sales in the millions, The Manhattan Transfer continues to bring unique and extraordinary melodic and jazz infused vocals to new and established audiences that span generations.

MUMMENSCHANZ has been dazzling audiences worldwide for more than 45 years. The latest creation from the “Musicians of Silence,” you & me is a surreal and enchanting experience, with large scale masks, acrobatics, sculptural puppetry, and visual antics – but no music or sound aside from the awe, joy, and laughter of the audience.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 3 – 12
For more than four decades, Mummenschanz have delighted audiences around the world with their wordless but extremely poetic art. By creating a playful yet compelling experience through the inventive use of shadow, light, and creative manipulation of objects, Mummenschanz offers timeless insight on the human condition. The result is a visually stunning spectacle that transcends cultural barriers, sparks the imagination, and is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 3 – 12
Ride the wind and dream with Air Play, a modern spectacle that brings to life the very air we breathe. Flying umbrellas, giant kites, larger-than-life balloons, and the biggest snow globe you have ever seen make you gasp in wonder and laugh until it hurts.

Join us on a circus-style adventure about two siblings journeying through a surreal land of air, transforming the ordinary into objects of uncommon beauty. Fabrics dance in the wind, balloons have a mind of their own, confetti turns into the night sky, and an enormous canopy of hovering silk brings to life the very air we breathe. Flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons, giant kites, and the biggest snow globe you’ve ever seen will make you gasp in wonder and laugh until it hurts. Ages 6+

Three beloved stories by Eric Carle, award-winning children’s book illustrator and author - The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Cloud, and The Mixed-Up Chameleon - are retold on stage through the magic of black light and fanciful puppets. Adapted, designed, and directed by Jim Morrow, the production features the imaginative approach to storytelling through theatre that has earned international recognition for Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. Ages 3+

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Pre-K – 2
The Mermaid Theatre Company’s celebrated performances are back! Three beloved stories by Eric Carle are retold on stage through the magic of black light and fanciful puppets. The triple-bill includes the wonderful story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly, the fanciful account of Little Cloud’s travels through the sky, and The Mixed Up Chameleon’s discovery of his own unique nature.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades: 7 - 12
It Gets Better brings the experience and message of the online It Gets Better Project to the stage as a moving musical theater performance – equal parts wit, whimsy, empowerment, and inspiration – featuring real stories from gay, lesbian, transgender, and straight allies from around the country. Produced by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in collaboration with the It Gets Better Project and Speak Theater Arts.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Pre-K – 2
An innovative blend of reality and imagination, using interactive screen technology and live music, Brush Theatre's Yao Yao is an inventive tale from the other side of the world (South Korea). Yao is a mischievous little girl who loves playing with her dad. But every morning Daddy has to go to work. One day, Yao, unhappy with her father’s departure, grabs his overcoat and accidentally pulls a thread that leads to the start of a magical world of adventure and discovery.

It Gets Betterbrings the experience and message of the online It Gets Better Project to the stage as a moving musical theater performance – equal parts wit, whimsy, empowerment, and inspiration – featuring real stories from gay, lesbian, transgender, and straight allies from around the country.
Produced by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in collaboration with the It Gets Better Project and Speak Theater Arts.

A feast for the eyes and ears, Bartók’s ingenious creation stands alone in the chamber music literature, an astonishing synthesis of percussion and keyboard. Also featured on the program are two more milestones: Dohnányi’s delectable Serenade, the 20th century’s first string trio, and Tchaikovsky’s String Sextet ne plus ultra, “Souvenir de Florence.”

Conceived and arranged by Deke Sharon, vocal producer of Pitch Perfect and The Sing-Off, this high-energy musical celebration of contemporary a cappella brings together four of todays' top acts - The Filharmonic, Committed, Blake Lewis, and Women of the World - for an absolutely fun and extremely entertaining afternoon of vocal music.

America’s favorite mariachi ensemble brings their solid-gold Mexican sound to Purchase for one night only. Acclaimed by audiences at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and other major venues throughout the U.S., their skillfully arranged versions of classic mariachi melodies and regional styles of traditional music feature full-throated harmonies and unforgettable festive pageantry.

Adapted from the picture book by Mara McEwin, commisisoned by The PAC, and choreographed by Emily Bunning, this new dance-theatre piece from Treehouse Shakers tells the story young Rink Bowagon, who lives on top of Lonesome Mountain with his unusual family of rattlesnake tamers and shape-shifters. Incorporating shadow puppetry, original music, and movement, The Boy Who Grew Flowers is a thoughtful story that lends itself to themes of diversity, creating empathy, and celebrating individualism. Ages 4+

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 1 – 5
Adapted from Jennifer Wojtowicz’s picture book by Mara McEwin, The Boy Who Grew Flowers is the beautiful story of a very unusual boy, Rink, who grows beautiful flowers all over his body whenever the moon is full. Incorporating shadow puppetry, original music, and movement into the play, The Boy Who Grew Flowers from Treehouse Shakers is a thoughtful story that lends itself to themes of diversity, creating empathy, and celebrating individualism.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 5 – 12
Back by popular demand! These ridiculously talented musical innovators are dedicated to inspiring musicians of all ages to investigate the world of classical music, as well as the nearly forty years of hip-hop history.

Black Violin’s Impossible Tour heads our way, spreading the message that anything is possible and there are no limits to what one can achieve, regardless of circumstance. Stereotype-smashing Black Violin blends classical, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and bluegrass to create a sound they call “classical boom." Headed by Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptiste, a.k.a. Kev Marcus and Wil B. on violin and viola, alongside DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes, Black Violin uses their music to overcome stereotypes and encourage people of all ages, races, and economic backgrounds to join together to break down cultural barriers.

For more than 30 years, Doug Varone and Dancers has devoted itself to the humanity and virtuosity of dance, reaching out to audiences well beyond the proscenium arch. They are one of the most respected dance companies working today, having created an expansive legacy and impressive body of work encompassing dance, theatre, opera, and film. Included in the program will be the world premiere of a new work, commissioned by The PAC.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades 2 – 5
Using whimsical costumes and gorgeous scenery, the magical world of Beatrix Potter’s beloved stories comes to life. Combining three of the famous Peter Rabbit tales, this captivating show by Philadelphia’s Enchantment Theatre Company reminds us all that we are never too young to make a difference.

The explosive Montreal-based RUBBERBAND has a style all its own, creating and producing innovative, high-energy works that are inspired by breakdancing, classical ballet, and dance theatre. Fascinated by the raw dynamic of hip-hop and breakdancing and the purity of classical formalism, choreographer and RUBBERBAND Artistic Director Victor Quijada has been demolishing barriers between these contrasting dance styles for 17 years.

Conductor Jayce Ogren, who began his career on a high rung as the Cleveland Orchestra’s assistant conductor, is joined by Israeli pianist Ran Dank for Beethoven’s most intimate Piano Concerto No. 4. And to honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, we’ve chosen two additional works composed as love letters to our planet: Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture and Copland's Appalachian Spring.

Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet holds a rightful place in the line of great piano quintets going back to Schumann’s of 1842. Combining the rigor of Bach with the powerful energy and extreme irony of Soviet era music, the work is a milestone not only of chamber music but also of Shostakovich’s career: it won him the coveted Stalin Prize. This essential quintet is accompanied by a youthful Beethoven sonata and Mendelssohn’s appropriately tempestuous First Piano Trio.

Playful, joyous, and stunning, A Simple Spacesets audiences alight with non-stop feats of unbelievable acrobatic ability and human physicality. No make-up, no theatrical lighting, just seven acrobats and live percussion. The audience is brought in close, so intimately that you can feel the heat, hear every breath, and be immersed in every moment. With nothing left to hide behind personal narratives come through naturally; this honesty is the essence behind A Simple Space.

From its beginning in 1994, Compañía de Danza Tania Pérez-Salas was founded with the ambition of becoming a point of reference in the world of modern dance. Adhering relentlessly to an artistic core grounded in quality, precise technique, and multiculturalism, the company is well-recognized with a portfolio of performances at the major cultural capitals of North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

This performance is for school groups only.
Recommended for: Grades: K – 4
It’s doom and gloom at the Horace B. Smedley School – the Smedley Tornadoes haven’t won a game or even scored a single point this season. They’re the worst football team ever! The team seems hopeless… until Viola Swamp, the meanest substitute teacher in the whole wide world, shows up to whip them into shape!
This game-winning musical will have kids cheering as they learn that all it takes to win is teamwork and determination! Go Tornadoes!